Knowing the chemical composition of hydrocarbons (including but not limited to petroleum oils and asphaltic materials) is critical in diverse applications such as improving the performance of bituminous roadways as well as improving refining and oil production efficiency. Certain embodiments of the inventive technology disclosed herein combine innovative features that provide a. novel analysis of at least the maltene portion of hydrocarbons in an new manner. The data generated through use of the size exclusion chromatography (SEC) column (and the detector configured to measure at least one response for the SEC column eluate) provides valuable insight into compositional differences between different oils and asphalt binders, and various additives, polymers or modifiers the internal chemical changes which occur due to aging or processing, modification, blending, and processing generally. The results can be used in establishing compatibility, blending, formulating, controlling catalyst and/or additive or modifier use, modifying and for predictive modeling, process control, product quality control, and improving processing efficiency and yield, inter alia.
This inventive technology, in embodiments, involves a novel combination of two modes of separation/analysis for hydrocarbons such as, e.g., bitumen and oils, including but not limited to petroleum oils, asphalt, coal liquids and shale oils. In embodiments able to quantify asphaltenic constituents, one component of the combined separation is an automated solubility separation in which asphaltenes are precipitated within a ground polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-packed column. This may be referred to as the Asphaltene Determinator (AD) separation, and may be as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,875,464 (perhaps supplemented by disclosure herein), incorporated herein in its entirety. The SEC technology disclosed herein can have added to it steps/equipment that, like that SEC technology, may be directed towards analysis of the various maltene components, but using additional separation, adsorption equipment such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,353,317, incorporated herein in its entirety.
The present inventive technology, in particular embodiments, includes a variety of aspects which may be selected in different combinations based upon the particular application or needs to be addressed. In one basic form, the inventive technology relates to in-vessel retention of a material (e.g., asphaltenes on a stationary phase that is substantially chemically inert relative to such asphaltenes) that are removed (e.g., via precipitation) from a hydrocarbon that is entrained in and part of a solvent (e.g., precipitant) mobile phase (producing a first eluate), and perhaps later dissolution of that material (e.g., via a successive dissolution procedure) to produce at least one asphaltenic eluate, in addition to detectors and associated componentry. Such detectors and associated componentry may include a size exclusion chromatography stationary phase (e.g., in a column) and a detector coupled to the eluate therefrom, to analyze, e.g., maltenes of the hydrocarbon (in addition to detector(s) coupled to the asphaltenic eluate(s) from the inert column)), all as part of a processing and/or analysis operation. Advantages of the inventive technology relate to improvements in speed, efficiency, and accuracy, inter alia, relative to known material processing and analysis methods.